Episode 1529 (11 November 1997)
Synopsis Ian meets Ros in Italy, and they search the bars of the town looking for Cindy. The hotel manager is very helpful and gives names of bars with English waitresses. They go off to investigate, and just as they have left, there's a phone call for Ian. Ian meets the Italian lawyer, who advises him that they can only serve papers if they have an address for Cindy, and although they can apply immediately, it will be at least 8 weeks, considering the Christmas break, before they get the court permission to take the children home. This assumes Cindy doesn't contest it, in which case it will be at least 3 months. The lawyer comments that Ian seems disheartened, but strongly advises him that he shouldn't be tempted to abduct the children, as North Italy is not a good place to flaunt the law like this. Ros and Ian are sitting in the hotel bar when Phil and Grant appear. They ask what's going on and Ian says they're looking round bars. Grant is pleased at the prospect of a "pub crawl". Ros expresses her doubts that they'll be helpful, and Grant assures her "You won't even know we're here." Phil and Grant follow Ian and Ros at a distance, and Grant has the brilliant idea that they should enlist the help of the Mafia since they're in Italy. Phil is sceptical and Grant says comically they could make them an offer they can't refuse. Phil says he's been watching too many films and how would they find them anyway. Grant says "Look for the guys in dark suits and sunglasses." In the background, a group of guys of this description pass by. They take a ferry across the lake, to the bar where the English girl is working, and Ros is advised not to go there alone, as it's a dive. The pairs of travellers are separate, so continue each having their private conversations. Ros asks Ian why Phil and Grant have arrived, and whether there is a hidden agenda she isn't aware of. Ian says he was just as surprised as she was, and Phil is just doing it to try to get in his mother's good books, but he's wasting his time. Grant and Phil chat about Ian - one of them saying that he and Ros look like they've got a thing going, and how does Ian do it - first Annie is all over him with the election campaign and now Ros. They decide he'll make a great politician since he's already slimy, devious and two-faced, so perfectly qualified. Grant tells Phil that Annie came on to him too, and Phil says "Yea, right, then you woke up." Grant insists, and says she was really up for it. Phil says if she was, then why would Grant have turned it down. Grant says it was when he'd just got back with Tiffany, and Phil wouldn't jeopardise his marriage if he had just got back with Kathy, so it was the same thing. When they set off for the bar Ros suggests that Grant and Phil wait a little and follow on afterwards, so they sit and have a drink at another bar first. Ian and Ros go into the very dodgy-looking pub, and ask about English girls working there. Apparently she's shopping and will be back soon, so they wait. Phil and Grant arrive, as Phil got fed up watching Grant drink beer while he's on orange juice. They decide to play pool, so attempt to communicate with the locals who are playing that they want a game of doubles. They finally get a taker, and Grant shows the note which he intends to play for, and the Italian also gets out a similar one, so it seems agreed. They start playing and the Italian plays a shot and touches another ball with his resting hand as he does so. Grant says "Oi!" and claims two shots. Since no-one has a clue what the other is saying, it develops into an argument, and they are finally dragged out of the bar by Ros and Ian, who's upset that they didn't find Cindy there. When it's all sorted out, Ian and Ros suggest it might be better to split up, and Ros asks the Mitchells to check this list of bars for them, if they want to be helpful. She goes off with Ian, and tells him she gave them the list she'd already done so they're pretty safe. Phil and Grant go on a long pub crawl, and Grant starts off saying that it wasn't his fault the pool players fought with them - they started it - and they took the money too. They next start to argue about Grant "putting a good word in" for Phil with Kathy, and Phil says Grant always takes Kathy's side, and what's he doing. Grant says she just wanted a shoulder to cry on, a bit like Phil did with Sharon, except that's all that it was. Phil says "Yea right, and I suppose she told you she thought she might have married the wrong brother." Grant looks startled and Phil is astonished that he was so accurate, and can't believe it, she really did! He chuckles to himself in an ironic sort of way. Grant asks what's so funny and Phil says that's exactly what Sharon told him. Meanwhile Ian and Ros have an in-depth discussion about Cindy and the children, and Ros suddenly asks if Ian wants to find Cindy or the kids, which is it? Ian tells her he doesn't care about Cindy in the least. Ros says she was just checking. She opines Ian is probably a really good father, and the conversation drifts. Ian becomes disheartened from visiting all the bars and following all the "English girl" leads and none of them turning out to be Cindy. He is depressed and says he's beginning to think it's a wild goose chase. Ros promises him they'll find her, and as they sit at yet another bar chatting, Ian says that Ros must be bored from hearing all this about his life, and he knows nothing about hers. She says it wouldn't interest him, but if he likes, he can have 5 questions. Ian asks her if she's married, and she says no, then he asks if she has a boyfriend. She laughs and says he wouldn't make a very good detective since he's wasted two questions finding out if she's involved with anyone when one would have done. Ian asks her if she's so clever, what she'd ask herself. That's question 3 then, and she replies, well, I'd probably ask "Do you fancy me?" since that's usually what people really want to know when they ask if you're married. Ian says OK, so what's the answer, and she says "A bit - I don't know you well enough for it to be more." Ian asks if that means she might want to get to know him better. She says yes. Phil returns to the hotel to check whether Ian is going to tell Kathy about the fight as soon as he phones Kathy, and he goes to Ian's room. Ian opens the door and Ros stands up, buttoning up her top button, and says she's going to look round a few more bars. Phil asks Ian and Ian says it makes no difference, because he knows Phil is only there for brownie points and he's wasting his time. Phil says he doesn't want to be blamed for something Grant did, and after a little chat, Ian agrees he won't lie to Kathy, but if she hears about it, it won't be from him. He then adds to Phil he'd like the same assurance from him and nods to where Ros had been sitting. Phil agrees and goes back to meet Grant. As the day progresses, Grant gets drunk, and goes on about how it's a pain being the younger brother because everything he did Phil had already done, like when he started to play football, got his first girlfriend, even had a baby, Phil had already done it first. Phil, who's sober, and bored by the drunken rambling says "So now you're going to become an alcoholic too are you?" Then he notices the pool players are all gathered behind Grant and look as if they're about to start trouble. He asks Grant if he's too drunk to run, and Grant says yes, why? They stand up and say "which one do you want", Phil says he'll take the smallest one, and on three... the brawl starts! The police are called, and Phil is trying to calm Grant down, because Grant is not taking kindly to being treated in the famous and traditional manner of the Italian police dealing with the English. Grant is trying to wrestle himself out of the policeman's rough handling, and he succeeds, so the policeman starts to draw his gun and Grant suddenly stops, saying to Phil "I forgot they have guns" and he meekly puts his hands up and suggests they quickly get in the van. Ros goes off to check a few more bars, as every English girl she meets knows of another working at other bars, and she waits at another bar where there is purportedly an English barmaid. She phones Ian telling him about her progress and he asks her if she'd like to come up to his room when she gets back. She declines, saying it would be better to concentrate on finding Cindy first. Ian calls Kathy and says Phil has been "helpful" so far and they're still following leads. As Ros gets up to leave yet another Italian bar, she happens to hear a party singing "Happy Birthday" in English, and looks round, and luckily enough, it's Cindy, looking very good and accepting birthday greetings. Credits Main cast *Adam Woodyatt as Ian Beale *Michelle Collins as Cindy Beale *Steve McFadden as Phil Mitchell *Ross Kemp as Grant Mitchell *C.P. Grogan as Ros Thorne *Fabio Bonini as Roberto *Dominic Taylor as Nick Holland *Lorendana Butti as Sophia *Stephano Gressieux as Policeman Category:Episode Category:1997 Episodes